Natural Order of Things
by KeDe
Summary: It's been a year now since the fortunate few escaped from Harper's Island. What's going on?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Prelude  
**  
The ladybug struggled to remove its plastered body from the the concrete of the terrace railing. Madison Allen giggled as she continued to position her magnifying glass to catch the most sun and trained the beam on her prey as it frantically wiggled its little red and black polkadot body in its fruitless effort to get away.

"No use," Madison said as the insect finally combusted. She watched it burn for a few seconds before using her fingers to flick it over the edge of the terrace onto the ground where it would join its many other friends who had met the same fate.

She was bored now and would rather be watching television but you-know-who wanted her to play outside more. This was the new thing since they had returned from Harper's Island over a year ago.

Madison sat in the swing and thought back on the tragic events that had happened on Harper's Island. _Tragic_, that's what everyone kept saying: you-know-who, her nanny, all the different doctors she was taken to, her teachers, the kids at school, the newspapers, the tv news shows -- everybody. But Madison didn't find the events tragic at all. What people didn't understand was that there was a natural order to things and when the things got out of order, shit happened. At least that's what John Wakefield had told her when she talked with him at the jail. And she believed him. He was a lot smarter than everyone else. They said he was dead, yet everyone was still talking about him.

Madison didn't know what exactly got out of order on Harper's Island but she didn't waste time worrying about it. There was too much shit that was still going to happen and she wanted to make sure she didn't miss anything. She needed to watch for the signs. She needed to fulfill her destiny. Wakefield had told her that, too.

She giggled. _"Shit."_ She liked that word!

**A/N:** Is it me, or did the writers not seem to know what they wanted to do with Madison's character?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Madison grabbed the sling shot, lined up the stone, and let it loose directly towards the bird perched on the fence, hitting it squarely in the side. The bird toppled off the fence and onto the ground.

"You killed it!" Charlotte said, stunned.

Madison aimed the sling shot at Charlotte's face. "Of course. That's the whole point."

"You are weird," Charlotte said as she pushed Madison's hand away from her face.

Madison tossed the sling shot at Charlotte's feet and started for home. Charlotte was boring and Madison only played with her because you-know-who thought she needed some friends.

Madison grinned as she made her way home. She wasn't surprised or even hurt by Charlotte's description of her. All the kids thought the same thing, even the teachers -- although they never came right out and said so. Madison didn't do anything to dissuade them from thinking this. As a matter of fact, she did everything she could to encourage it. She wanted to honor her two heroes: JD Dunn and John Wakefield. She admired JD because he had been weird and comfortable in his weirdness. He hadn't cared what anybody thought of him. She admired John Wakefield because he was, well, John Wakefield. Enough said. However, she didn't think so highly of Henry, who had killed JD and Wakefield! Killing someone wasn't enough to gain her admiration, especially when she really liked two of those people. Henry had killed Trish too, but that wasn't as important to Madison. Wakefield had killed her grandfather, whom she did like, but since it was a part of some plan – the natural order – she guessed it was okay.

Of course Madison never told anyone how much she admired JD and Wakefield. She liked to keep that secret all to herself.

Madison entered the house, hoping to get to her room without being detected. No such luck.

"Madison, sweetheart," Shea slurred, martini glass in hand.

Madison sighed. Like she had done everyday for the last year, Shea was boring her while drinking her lunch.

"Hello, Shea."

"Honey, how many times have I asked you not to call me that?"

"Why? That's your name, isn't it?"

"Of course it is. But I'd prefer if you called me mommy."

Just then Tony, Shea's new boyfriend, came out of the parlor carrying his own drink. Shea had met him at an alcoholic's anonymous meeting. He grabbed Shea by the waist and kissed her on the cheek. "Hello, Madison. It's good to see you."

Before he had finished speaking, Madison had turned away and was rolling her eyes. "Whatever," she said as she headed towards the staircase. If she was lucky these two would be passed out drunk in no time.

Madison snuck into Shea's bedroom and stole her handheld before scurrying to her own bedroom. She took the device into her walk-in closet that had been converted into a playhouse with dolls, games, and a table and chairs. Madison thought she was too old for this but Shea insisted. She relented when she realized that she could go into the closet for hours and do just what she was doing.

She logged on and continued reading about the _tragic_ events that had happened on Harper's Island. There was so much stuff written about it -- and being written every day -- that if she read for another year she still wouldn't finish.

An hour later Madison was still reading. She was so engrossed in a biography that had had been posted about Wakefield that she didn't hear someone enter her bedroom and close the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

When the closet door suddenly opened, Madison gasped and quickly dropped the handheld behind the large doll she had sitting on the table in front of her for just this purpose.

"Madison," Abby said, smiling.

"Does Shea know you're here?" Madison asked, not trying to hide the contempt in her voice.

"No," Abby responded, her feelings obviously hurt. "Your housekeeper said I could come up. Told me exactly where to find you."

Of course Shea didn't know. Lillian knew Abby from when they all first returned from Harper's Island and Abby and Jimmy had spent a few days with them -- before Shea decided she never wanted to see either of them again.

Abby stepped into the closet. "I just wanted to see how you're getting along--"

"Why?"

"Why what, honey?"

Madison didn't respond but just looked at her in a way she had been told made people uncomfortable.

Abby stumbled over her words: "I . . . We, we haven't really talked since--"

"I don't know why you're coming over here trying to be so nice. Mommy, I mean Shea, said it's your fault that all those people got killed, especially daddy, Aunt Trish and granddad."

Abby's eyes teared up so Madison knew she had struck a chord. She didn't care. It was the truth.

Abby did her best to regain her composure. "Why do you call her Shea?"

"That's her name, isn't it? Besides, she likes it less when I call her _you-know-who_." Madison couldn't help but giggle.

Abby frowned, trying to understand.

"You should leave before Shea sees you."

Abby hesitated a moment. "Madison, I'm truly sorry about what happened to your father, Trish, Mr. Wellington, and all the others. But the same thing happened to my parents, remember? I didn't ask for it to happen and I would have stopped it if I could have, but I couldn't. I cannot be held responsible for what Henry and John Wakefield did. Please don't hate me for that."

"I don't hate you," Madison said. And she didn't. After all, what had happened was really because of the natural order, or something like that. She hadn't quite figured it all out yet, especially why John Wakefield and JD had to die.

Abby kneeled down so that she was face level with Madison. "I am sorry, Madison, for what you've gone through and I am glad you don't blame me--"

"I didn't say that. I said I don't hate you but I do blame you because you should have figured it out. It was about you, Abby, but then you know that already."

Abby was stunned. "Did your mother tell you that?"

"No, not really. She does hate you, though."

By now Abby was thoroughly distraught. "If Shea didn't tell you I should have figured it out, then who did?"

Madison couldn't believe that Abby was so dumb and it showed in her voice when she said: "John Wakefield."

Panic registered on Abby's face.

"Madison!" Shea called from downstairs. "Time for lunch."

Madison sighed and rolled her eyes at the sound of Shea's voice. So she and Tony hadn't passed out which meant she'd have to eat with them and worse, talk to them. She stood up. "You can wait here until we go into the dining room then you can leave so she won't see you."

Abby only half heard her, obviously trying to process what Madison had already told her.

Madison left Abby in the closet and went into the hallway and climbed on the banister. She closed her eyes and giggled as she slid down the winding staircase. She was pleased at how frightened Abby looked. _Serves her right for not paying attention to the natural order of things!_


End file.
